The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Caracas is the Latin an ecclesiastical territory of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in part of

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. It was founded as the Diocese of Caracas on June 20, 1637, and was later elevated to the rank of a Metropolitan see on November 27, 1803. This episcopal see occupies a territory of about 790 square kilometers and is not unlikely to be given several auxiliary bishops. The most recent

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

had been Jorge Urosa, appointed by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

on September 19, 2005 (and elevated to Cardinal in 2006); retirement accepted July 9, 2018 by

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo (; born 10 October 1944) is a Venezuelan prelate of the Catholic Church, who was named Metropolitan Archbishop of Caracas in 2023 after serving as apostolic administrator there for four and a half years. He was au ...

was also appointed as Apostolic Administrator at the same day. Its

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

episcopal see is the Catedral Metropolitana de Santa Ana, in national capital Caracas, Distrito Federal, which also has three

Minor Basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

s: Basílica de Santa Teresa, Basílica San Pedro Apóstol and Basílica Santuario de Santa Capilla (also a National Shrine).

History

* Established on 20 June 1637 as Diocese of Caracas alias Santiago de Venezuela, on vast territory split off from the suppressed Diocese of Coro, which had itself been established in 1531, by the Papal Bull ''Pro Excellentia praeeminentia'' issued by

Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII ( la, Clemens VII; it, Clemente VII; born Giulio de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the ...

in St. Peter's in Rome on 21 June of that year and was based in Coro,

Falcón State ) , anthem = , image_map = Falcon in Venezuela.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Venezuela , pushpin_map = , pushpin_map_alt = , pushpin_mapsiz ...

, then the capital of Venezuela, but vacant since 1721 to 1727."Archdiocese of Caracas"
''

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The website is not officially sanctioned by the Church. It is run as a private project by David M. Cheney in ...

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 19, 2016"Archdiocese of Caracas"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved March 19, 2016 * It lost territories in 1715 to establish the

Apostolic Prefecture of Curaçao The Roman Catholic Diocese of Willemstad ( la, Dioecesis Gulielmopolitana; nl, Bisdom Willemstad; pap, Diosesano (di Obispado) di Willemstad) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Caribbean. The diocese encompasses t ...

and on 16 February 1778 to establish the Diocese of Mérida (Venezuela). * The Diocese was elevated to Metropolitan Archdiocese of Caracas by the papal bull ''In universalis ecclesiae regimine'' issued by

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...

on November 24, 1803. Until then it was a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

in the

Ecclesiastical Province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

of the

Archdiocese of Santo Domingo The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santo Domingo ( la, Archidioecesis Metropolitae Sancti Dominici; es, Arquidiócesis Metropolitana de Santo Domingo) is a Latin Metropolitan Archdiocese in the Dominican Republic. The see was erected ...

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...

, now in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

. * It lost more territories repeatedly to establish Dioceses : on 1863.03.07 to establish the

Calabozo Calabozo, officially Villa de Todos los Santos de Calabozo, is a city in Venezuela located in the Guárico state, capital of the Francisco de Miranda Municipality and former capital of the state. It has a population of 168,605, according to t ...

, on 1922.10.12

Valencia (Venezuela) Valencia () is the capital city of Carabobo State and the third-largest city in Venezuela. The city is an economic hub that contains Venezuela's top industries and manufacturing companies. It is also the largest city in the Valencia-Maracay m ...

, on 1958.06.21

Maracay ) , image_skyline = , image_caption =Top:Maracay Municipal Garden and Las Delicias area, Second:Sindoni Tower, Los Tamarindo residential area and overview to Maracay, Third:Maestranza Cesar Giron Bullring Stadium, Girardot Square and Maracay ...

, on 1965.07.23

Los Teques Los Teques ) is the capital of the state of Miranda and the municipality of Guaicaipuro Municipality. It is located in the capital region of north-central Venezuela. More specifically, southwest of Caracas, 10° 21' 00" N latitude and 67° 02' 3 ...

(its suffragan) and on 1970.04.15

La Guaira La Guaira () is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of the same name (formerly named Vargas) and the country's main port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during ...

(also its suffragan). * It enjoyed papal visits by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in January 1985 and February 1996.

Province

Its

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

in Venezuela comprises the metropolitan's own archdiocese and the following

suffragan sees A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

: *

Roman Catholic Diocese of Guarenas The Roman Catholic Diocese of Guarenas ( la, Guarenen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Guarenas in the ecclesiastical province of Caracas in Venezuela. History On 30 November 1996 Blessed John Paul II established the Diocese of Guarenas ...

Roman Catholic Diocese of La Guaira The Roman Catholic Diocese of La Guaira ( la, Dioecesis Guairiensis) is a diocese located in the city of La Guaira in the Ecclesiastical province of Caracas in Venezuela. History On 15 April 1970 Pope Paul VI established the Diocese of La Guaira ...

Roman Catholic Diocese of Los Teques The Roman Catholic Diocese of Los Teques ( la, Dioecesis Tequinensis) is a diocese located in the city of Los Teques in the Ecclesiastical province of Caracas in Venezuela. History On 23 July 1965 Pope Paul VI established the Diocese of Los Tequ ...

Bishops

Ordnaries

;''Bishops of Caracas'' *

Juan López de Agurto de la Mata Juan López de Agurto de la Mata (December 22, 1572 – December 24, 1637) was a Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Coro (later Bishop of Caracas) (1634–1637) and Bishop of Puerto Rico (1630–1634). Biography Juan López de Agurto ...

(1637) *

Mauro Diego de Tovar y Valle Maldonado Mauro Diego de Tovar y Valle Maldonado, Order of St. Benedict, O.S.B. or Marcos de Tovar y Valle Maldonado (1586 – 22 October 1666) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Bishop of Chiap ...

O.S.B. , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

(1639-1652), appointed

Bishop of Chiapas A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Alonso de Briceño Alonso de Briceño y Arias de Córdoba, O.F.M. or Alonso de Brizeño (1587 – 16 November 1668) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Caracas (Santiago de Venezuela) (1653–1668) ''(in Latin)'' and Bishop of Nicaragua (16 ...

, O.F.M. (1653–1668) * Antonio González de Acuña (1670–1682) * Diego de Baños y Sotomayor (1683–1706) *

Francisco del Rincón Francisco del Rincón, OM (29 January 1650 – 28 June 1723) was a Spanish-born Minim friar and prelate of the Catholic Church in the New World, in what is now the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Colombia. From 1705 to 1714, Rincón was Arch ...

, O.M. (1714–1716), Archbishop (personal title); appointed Archbishop of Santafé en Nueva Granada * Juan José de Escalona y Calatayud (1717–1728), appointed

Bishop of Michoacán The Archdiocese of Morelia ( la, Archidioecesis Moreliensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in western central Mexico.Bishop of Michoacán The Archdiocese of Morelia ( la, Archidioecesis Moreliensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in western central Mexico.Bishop of Palencia The Roman Catholic Diocese of Palencia ( la, Palentin(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Palencia in the ecclesiastical province of Burgos, Spain.

* Ramón Méndez (1827–1839) * Ignacio Fernández Peña (1841–1849) * Silvestre Guevara y Lira (1852–1876) * José Antonio Ponte (1876–1883) * Críspulo Uzcátegui (1884–1904) * Juan Bautista-Castro (1904–1915) * Felipe Rincón González (1916–1946) * Lucas Guillermo Castillo Hernández (1946–1955) * Rafael Arias Blanco (1955–1959) * Cardinal

José Humberto Quintero Parra José Humberto Quintero Parra (September 22, 1902 – July 8, 1984) was the first Venezuelan Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Caracas from 1960 to 1980, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1961. Biography ...

(1960–1980) * Cardinal

José Lebrún Moratinos José Lebrún Moratinos (19 March 1919 – 21 February 2001) was a Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Caracas. Besides his native Spanish, he spoke Italian, Latin and French. Early life and priesthood He was born in Puerto Cabello, ...

(1980–1995) * Cardinal Ignacio Velasco, S.D.B. (1995–2003) * Cardinal Jorge Urosa (2005–2018)

Coadjutor bishops

* Juan Bautista-Castro (1903–1904) * Lucas Guillermo Castillo Hernández (1939–1946) * Rafael Arias Blanco (1952–1955) *

(1972–1980); future Cardinal

Auxiliary bishops

* Nicolás Eugenio Navarro (1943–1960) * Ramón J. Lizardi (1956–1972) *

José Rincón Bonilla José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

(1961–1984) * Luis Eduardo Henríquez Jiménez (1962–1972), appointed Bishop of Valencia en Venezuela * Jesús Maria Pellin (1965–1969) *

Ramón Ovidio Pérez Morales Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name *Ramon (footballer, born 1998), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Brazilian footballer *Ramón (singer), Spanish singer who represented Spain in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest ...

(1970–1980), appointed Bishop of Coro *

Marcial Augusto Ramírez Ponce Marcial is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name *Marcial Ávalos, Paraguayan footballer *Marcial Calleja (1863–1914), Filipino lawyer *Marcial Cuquerella (born 1977), Spanish businessma ...

(1972–1996), appointed Bishop of Venezuela, Military * Ramón Hernández Peña (1974–1976), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Trujillo *

Alfredo José Rodríguez Figueroa Alfredo (, ) is a cognate of the Anglo-Saxon name Alfred and a common Italian, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish language personal name. People with the given name include: *Alfredo (born 1946), Brazilian footballer born as Alfredo Mostarda Filho ...

(1974–1987), appointed Bishop of Cumaná * Miguel Delgado Avila, S.D.B. (1979–1991), appointed Bishop of Barcelona * Jorge Liberato Urosa Savino (1982–1990), appointed Archbishop of Valencia en Venezuela (later returned here as Archbishop); future Cardinal *

José Vicente Henriquez Andueza José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

, S.D.B. (1985–1987), appointed Bishop of Maracay * Ubaldo Ramón Santana Sequera, F.M.I. (1990–1991), appointed Bishop of Ciudad Guayana * Diego Rafael Padrón Sánchez (1990–1994), appointed Bishop of Maturín *

Mario del Valle Moronta Rodríguez is a character (arts), character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in ...

(1990–1995), appointed Bishop of Los Teques *

Roberto Antonio Dávila Uzcátegui The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

(1992–2005) *

Rafael Ramón Conde Alfonzo Rafael Ramón Conde Alfonzo (13 July 1943 – 10 December 2020) was a Venezuelan Roman Catholic bishop. Conde Alfonzo was born in Venezuela and ordained to the priesthood in 1968. He served as titular bishop of ''Bapara'' and as auxiliary bi ...

(1995–1997), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of La Guaira *

José de la Trinidad Valera Angulo José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

(1997–2001), appointed Bishop of La Guaira * Pedro Nicolás Bermúdez Villamizar, C.I.M. (1997–2009) * Saúl Figueroa Albornoz (1997–2011), appointed Bishop of Puerto Cabello *

Luis Armando Tineo Rivera Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

(2007–2013), appointed Bishop of Carora * Jesús González de Zárate Salas (2007–2018), appointed Archbishop of Cumaná * Fernando José Castro Aguayo (2009–2015), appointed Bishop of Margarita *

Tulio Luis Ramírez Padilla Tulio is a male given name of Latin origin (originally Tullius), which means "the one who leads". It is a fairly common given name in Spanish-speaking countries. Other popular forms are Tullio (Italian) and Túlio (Portuguese). Given name or nickn ...

(2012–2020), appointed Bishop of Guarenas * José Trinidad Fernández Angulo (2014–2021), appointed Bishop of Trujillo * Enrique José Parravano Marino, S.D.B. (2016–2019), appointed Bishop of Maracay *

Ricardo Aldo Barreto Cairo Ricardo is the Spanish and Portuguese cognate of the name Richard. It derived from Proto-Germanic ''*rīks'' 'king, ruler' + ''*harduz'' 'hard, brave'. It may be a given name, or a surname. People Given name *Ricardo de Araújo Pereira, Portugu ...

(2019–) * Carlos Márquez Delima (2021-) * Lisandro Alirio Rivas Durán (2021-)

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* José Manuel Arroyo y Niño, appointed Bishop of Guayana in 1856 * Román Lovera, appointed Bishop of Mérida in 1880 *

Manuel Arteaga y Betancourt Manuel Arteaga y Betancourt (December 28, 1879 – March 20, 1963) was a Cuban prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Havana from 1941 to 1963. He raised to the rank of cardinal in 1946. Biography He was born in Camagüey, ...

, appointed Archbishop of San Cristobal de la Habana, Cuba in 1941 (Cardinal in 1946)

References

Sources and external links

Official website

Catholic Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caracas, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Caracas 1637 establishments in the Spanish Empire Religious organizations established in the 1630s Roman Catholic dioceses in Venezuela Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Caracas, Santiago de Venezuela Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 17th century